Home Without Purpose
by goodnessgraciouschild
Summary: When Nick's father falls ill, he is expected to run the house; but with a little help. (Rated M for later chapters)
1. Prologue

At a young age, I had always dreamt of my father's approval. It was especially difficult when we nearly always had the opposite way of thinking. When it came to deciding the importance of something, it had always been his reputation that came first; never family, or health. He hadn't always been that way, though; it had only been that way since mother had passed. I remember him being quite affectionate and compassionate, when I was just a boy. Ever since then, he has become cold and distant. Drowning himself in his studies…. and alcohol.

"Nicholas!" his distinct voice rang throughout the otherwise empty house.

I strode along the house into his office located on the other side of the wing of the household. "Yes father?" I asked, closing the door behind me.

"Nicholas," he gestured to the leather loveseat in front of his desk, "I wish to speak with you about some matters."

"Like what, father?"

He poured me a drink and handed it to me and then pouring his own.

He leaned back into his chair, taking a sip. He soon lowered the glasses that were resting on the bridge of his nose to get a better look at me. "Have you had any thoughts towards marriage?"

I fell back into my chair, setting my drink down. Was I supposed to? He had never brought up the subject before. I had never considered it a necessity, at least, not for right now. Of course, I'd thought about it, but I hadn't looked into it farther than that.

"No." I stated simply "No, I haven't. What's bringing all this up?" I dared ask.

He stood from his seat and stared out from his normal spot at the window. He did not face me.

"I am not well, son," His tone never changing, he took a pause. "I feel it is time that I hand the house over to you."

"But father—" He raised his hand, cutting me short.

"I don't feel as if I am well enough to run this household for much longer," He finally turned to face me. "And you can't run this household alone… or forever."

I sat in silence for a moment. "What are you suggesting I do? To find the next woman I see in town and bring her home to marry?"

He put his hands in his pockets and looked at me. "I have found you a suitor, so even if you do not choose to marry, you will still have possible heirs."

"Do I even get a say in whom it is I marry?" I snapped.

He gave me a warning glance, "Do you not appreciate what I am giving you? I'm giving you my _home_, Nicholas."

I stood out of rage. I knew my anger was irrational, but so were his decisions. It was my choice in whom I married, who I would have children with. I stormed out of the room without a second glance and ran up to my chambers only to slam the door and fall back onto my bed.

Only later that night was when it had sunk in. Father was ill, I had gained rule over the mansion, and he had set me up with someone whom I had never met; someone with whom I was expected to run the household with.


	2. Chapter 1

I was awoken to the sound of shouts, and bustling. I sat up and rubbed my weary eyes clear. Christine, one of our few housekeepers, soon entered the room bringing me a tray full of food with a pleasant smile on her face. "Good morning, Sir!" she chimed, setting the tray down on the bed.

I smiled politely at her. "Good morning, Christine."

"Did you sleep well?" She asked, pouring me a cup of tea.

"I suppose so." She handed me the cup and I took a small sip, "And yourself?"

She chuckled and shook her head "Why must you be so naive, child?"

"What do you mean?"

"You always treat everyone as if order of class doesn't matter. I am below you, sir. I do not deserve to be treated as well as you should."

I shook my head, "Class does not and should not define the way people look at you or the way you are treated. You are a lovely person, and you should be treated as so."

She simply smiled at me and put her hands on both sides of my face. "You precious child, how did you end up so much unlike your father?" She said it quietly, as if to herself and not so much towards me.

After I had finished my food, she took a moment before she got up and cleaned up my tray and took it back to the kitchen.

In her absence, I got out of bed and got dressed for the day. She returned shortly to help me finish getting ready. Soon enough, she started to escort me out into the hallway.

"What is going on?" I asked, dodging the way of all of the housekeepers and such, cleaning and decorating the halls of the house.

"Madame Rowe is supposedly arriving today. Master wants everything decent for her arrival this morning." I gave her a confused look and she caught on. "The girl your father wants you to run the household with. I believe her name is…."

"Alice!" I heard father cry from downstairs as we reached the top of the stairwell.

A lovely young woman looking to be in her early twenties in an evergreen dress approached him with open arms and a smile on her face. She had dark brown hair that was tied behind her with a bow to match her dress and bright green-grayish eyes.

I made my way down the stairs and my father turned to look at me. "Nicholas," he said, stepping back from Alice. He held his arm out towards her in a way to present her to me. "Meet Alice."

I nodded respectfully, as she took a bow towards me.

"I believe I should give you two some time to get acquainted." Father nodded curtly and left us alone.

She gave me a shy smile and curtsied again, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Nicholas."

"Please, call me Nick."

She smiled, "Of course, Nick." She paused, taking a look around the room "The house is beautiful."

"I suppose it is." I answered, taking a look around the room for myself.

I had lived here my entire life, I'd never really thought much about it. It was my home; where I had played and where I had grown up.

"Would you like a tour?" I asked, noticing how intrigued she was by the house.

She nodded, her eyes gleaming brightly. I held my arm out of her and escorted her down the hall.

I took her on a detailed showing of the house; leading her down the hallway flooded with nearly hundreds of family portraits of those deceased and distant.

I took her through the ballroom, my father's multiple study halls, and the guestrooms.

Finally, I decided that I would show her where my chambers were, in case she would need anything. A small smile played on her lips as she traced her fingers along the overly decorated cravings in the wooden furniture.

"It's beautiful," Alice whispered.

She took a step back from the bed and looked at me, wide-eyed. "Nick?" she asked curiously, "Do you think we'll be expected to share a bed?"

"I don't know." I answered honestly.

I was glad I wasn't the only one who was anxious about this arrangement. I had no idea what my father had expected from me out of this.

I had never shared a bed with a woman before; I didn't know what to think.

All I did know was that at least I wouldn't be going through this alone. Alice and I were in this together and we were going to make the best out of this.

* * *

A few hours of small talk had passed, I heard Christine's distinct voice acknowledge us that father would like to speak to Alice and welcome her properly. As I lead Alice down the stairs, I couldn't help but wonder how she was convinced to agree to this arrangement.

I had never met the girl, and suddenly she was my fiancée.

In order to pass the time of waiting for Alice and my father to finish their conversation, I decided to read a book from the library down the hall from my room. Reading had always been a favorite pastime for me, although my father believed that I should remain realistic and that books would shatter my concept of reality.

After their conversation, she found her way back upstairs. She eventually found me in the library and looked at me curiously.

"What are you reading?"

I held the book cover higher so that she could read the title of the story.

She continued to give me a confused look.

"It's _Les Misérables_ by Victor Hugo, one of my favorites at the moment. It came out about 20 years ago, but it's still good neither the less."

"I'm not much of a reader," she admitted sitting on the love seat next to mine.

"Well that's alright, not all of us are."

"No, I meant that I can't read much…"

I can honestly say that I was shocked; I knew that most women were looked down on for reading, but Alice didn't exactly look like most women. She seemed to have come from a wealthy home. Not only that, but she seemed to have a gentle personality; the kind to spend rainy afternoons inside by the window, reading with a cup of tea in hand.

"I could teach you a bit if you wanted me to."

"Really?!" She exclaimed, her face lighting up.

I nodded, as she pulled me in for a hug.

Not before long, I had a familiar cry, the one of my father calling us to dinner.

I gave her a sly smirk, as if we already had our own little secret to tell.

She brought a finger to her lips as if to shush me and smiled back.

It was a comforting moment, for the first time in this, I felt we had a connection.

I'd hoped that even if this was an arranged marriage, we could get along like friends.

* * *

**Hello! I'm only 2 chapters in and i'm extremely excited about this story! I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoy writing it :)**

**To my amazing friends putting your input on my drafts - I realize this very different from the original draft of the first chapter I sent you, but don't give up on me just yet ;)**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The next few days went by peacefully and comfortably. Father had decided (at Alice's comfort) we share separate bedrooms and so she held a guestroom down the hall from my room. There were certain moments that the rest of the household allowed us time to ourselves, I believed to give us more time to be acquainted; we both used a large majority of the time reading. She had picked up reading tremendously for a beginner, and was soon reading almost fluently.

After being stuck in the house for a few days, I felt it was time I took Alice on a tour of the gardens. This was going to be her home after all. She might as well know the place inside and out. As we walked arm and arm out through the endless rows of flowers and vegetables, there was one question that still racked my mind.

"Alice?" I asked softly.

"Hmm?" She encouraged me on.

"There was something I've been wondering for the past three days," I hesitated, "why did you agree to the marriage? Didn't you find it odd we had never met, and were suddenly engaged?"

She smiled, but the light didn't quite catch her eye. "I felt it was a compliment. I mean, someone wanted me to be someone's fiancée. I didn't think that was something to turn down." She looked down, now smiling sadly, "the truth is I never felt noticed. I never felt as if I would be considered beautiful by anyone. And when your father asked me to take your hand in marriage… I felt that was my only chance at marriage or having children."

I pitied Alice. Alice may have not been my idea of a goddess, or someone I would have chosen for myself, but she had her own kind of beauty. The last few days, she had said nothing but respect and kindness for the people in the household, as well as, for me.

"If I had to be in this situation with anyone; I am grateful it's with you, Alice."

She smiled softly as I lead her into the house. "Thank you, Nicholas. I could say the same, you are a wonderful gentleman."

The housekeepers were busy and running all over the house when we came back inside.

"Richard?!" I heard Christine yell out, referring to my father. Her voice was echoing into the hallways and into the main hall where we were standing.

"Richard!" She called again, this time coming into our view, running through the hall.

"Oh, Sir!" She exclaimed, her face lighting up at the sight of me. "You haven't your father lately have you, dear?"

"No, not lately, what is all the commotion about?"

Near seconds after I asked my question, father scrolled into the room. His hands were behind his back as he walked in a polite manner, while the smirk on his face had somewhat of an excited boyish charm to it. "Nicholas, son, I have exciting news. We are going to throw a ball this Saturday in honor of your engagement."

That explained the stressed and wan look Christine wore. She always had a thing for weddings, although I wasn't around for Father and Mother's wedding, I had heard she had planned the entire thing. If this was her reaction to the engagement party, I couldn't imagine her planning the wedding.

I looked to Alice and her face was painted with a ray of emotions. Her anxiety was the most dominant look on her face, however.

"Mr. Richard, sir! I'm so glad I found you I had many concerns with the designs…" Christine rambled.

Father nodded curtly and left with Christine down the hall.

"Alice, what's the matter?"

"W-we're having a ball, in honor of us—" Her body and voice trembled.

I put my hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"I-I can't do this, Nick."

"Do what? What's wrong?"

"Everyone is going to be paying attention to the bride-to-be and I can't handle that much attention. I really can't." She hung her head in shame.

I pulled her into a hug. "Hey, it's alright." I whispered softly into her ear.

"Listen to me," I tilted her head towards me, "it all work out fine, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Most of the people coming are only coming to socialize with the other guests anyway."

I remember the events my father used to hold when I was younger, and even the smaller ones he held now. Very few of the people who came where interested in the actual event, compared to the socialization of the whole thing.

Even for events like my birthday, a few family members came and actually wished me well. The rest were busy talking, laughing and getting drunk.

I continued to hold Alice as her breathing slowed and she calmed down. She finally took a deep breath and pulled away. She thanked me for my comfort and headed to bed.

As I lay in bed that night, I stared up at the ceiling. A feeling came over me that hadn't in a while. It felt somewhat like, excitement. I wasn't quite sure why, but I had a good feeling about this party. I felt it was the beginning of something new.

* * *

**This chapter was a difficult one to write, but it's essential for the next chapter. **

**Thank you so much to my amazing friends and your support in this story, and in me. I'm sorry this story isn't all that exciting so far, but give me some time! **

**Love, Alley. **


	4. Chapter 3

The next few days went by in a blur of people and words, and mainly uneventful.

Alice gradually seemed to grow more comfortable with the idea, and had spent most of her time picking through gowns and practicing things she might need to say. I, on the other hand, grew more anxious. Not in a way that necessarily meant nervous for, but in a way of excitement.

That morning, I swiftly got up from the bed and got dressed hastily. I ran down the stairs only to fall into the quick pace of the rest of the household preparing for the evening; even father took a break from his studies and alcohol to join the rest of us for breakfast that morning.

"Are you excited this evening, Ms. Rowe?" He addressed to Alice.

She took a bite of her toast before sitting up even straighter in her chair, "Very, Sir."

"Even Nicholas seems excited for the thing," he chuckled. "He always seems so serious most of the time, I almost didn't realize that was a smile he was wearing all week." It seemed unclear to whom he was speaking to, I assumed it was either to Alice, or in general.

Christine came bustling into the room, hair flying every which way out of her bun. She looked worn out, as if she had not slept all week. I had rarely seen her this week, but when I had, she was rushing from one place to another.

She reached for father's glass to refill it with more wine, but her shaking hand had spilled the wine all over him.

"God damned, wench!" He screamed.

"Master, I am terribly sorry!" She reached for a rag to dab his soaked clothes with.

He took a rough grab on her wrist and breathed "Go."

"But sir, I—"

Father let go of her wrist and raised a hand, silencing her. "Leave," he seethed through his clinched teeth.

Christine ran from the room, as he rose from his seat.

"Was that necessary?" I shot at him, as he furiously dabbed at his stained pants.

"Of course it was the god damned bitch stained my trousers!"

"She has not rested all week! It's no wonder she spilled it on you; the woman can barely keep her eyes open, much less do anything else!"

He clearly had not heard me because the next thing I knew he called another servant to assist him in getting cleaned up and they left the room.

I took a deep breath and looked over at Alice who was quietly finishing up her breakfast.

"I am terribly sorry you had to witness that."

She wiped her mouth with her cloth and stood from her chair, "It's not your fault, Nicholas. That's his place in the world, it's what he does." She nodded politely, and headed up to her chambers.

I finished my breakfast and soon enough the housekeepers came to clean up the table and rush back into the kitchen, each of them knowing their place in the household.

* * *

The rest of the day went by as quickly as usual, and before I could comprehend, it was dusk.

Guests had already started to enter and situate their selves among each other; everyone seemingly knowing their place in the world. The next hour passed by not necessarily slowly, just uneventfully.

Soon Father stood from his place at the head of the table set up towards the front of the room. He tapped his fork against his glass in an attempt to gain everyone's attention. The room grew quiet and his voice rang out through the room.

"Thank you all for coming tonight." He called grandly. "As I'm sure most of you are aware, we are here to celebrate the engagement between the beautiful, Alice Rowe," He held out his arm towards her as she stood. "And my son, Nicholas," He did the same towards me as I stood.

"I hope you all enjoy your evening. Let the celebration… begin!" He called grandly and the music rang out into the hall as the band started playing.

Ever since the incident from this morning, it was a risk to test his temper. So when he came up to me, it would have been a mistake to betray him when he asked to make an attempt to look somewhat interested in Alice.

I lead Alice to the middle of the floor and began to slow dance with her to the leisurely melody. I felt her blush as I pulled her closer into me. We haven't been this close since she's moved in, at most the most contact we've had was our arms interlocked.

As we danced, a bright scarlet color caught my attention. As I turned, I couldn't but stare at the most beautiful person I had ever seen in my entire life. Long blonde waves cascaded around her and the most dominant feature on her face was her piercing blue eyes. She radiated with beauty as she stepped into the room; looking dazed, but intrigued by the glittered gold that made the room.

The thing that made her stand out to me the most, was the fact I hadn't seen her before. I knew most, if not all of the people at these sorts of events by face-and-name considering they were all either family or friends of family. Sometimes a stray villager from the town would make an appearance, but no one has quite caught my eye like her.

The song ended as it turned to a more upbeat, cheerful tune. It was a song typically used when we would switch partners in an attempt for everyone to get a chance to dance with the lucky guests of honor.

Alice and I started off the song together for a short time before switching to another partner. I keep my eye on the stranger, hoping for a chance to be her dancing partner. In an attempt to keep my gaze towards her, I felt myself slip as I heard a tearing sound. I looked down to notice like I had made a slight tear towards the bottom of my current companion's skirt.

I felt my cheek turn a slight pink as the woman made the discovery. She smiled politely; assuring me it was fine and quickly made a leave of absence along with her spouse. I didn't know what the greater embarrassment was; ripping the Madame's skirt or having ripped it front of the beauty I had tried to keep up with.

As the night went on, I couldn't help but think back to the story I had been helping teaching Alice with. After I had informed her about how _Les Misérables_ was my favorite story, she became interested and asked if I could teach her how to read it. Reluctantly, I said yes, I knew the story inside and outside. I could surely at least explain the story to her.

I thought back to Marius Pontemercy's character and his fascination for his dearest Cosette. How even when they had not known each other, they had known about how they felt about each other: **_"Marius and Cosette were in the dark in regard to each other. They did not speak, they did not bow, they were not acquainted; they saw each other; and, like the stars in the sky separated by millions of leagues, they lived by gazing upon each other."_**

I wondered if the scarlet-coated woman felt the way I felt about her. I doubted it; she had hardly looked at me since her arrival. Despite her lack of acknowledge of me, I couldn't help but think she might be where I belonged. That maybe she was my place in this world.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry about the wait for this chapter! Absolutely no free time when it comes to final exams and projects. I hope you all enjoyed this one. Reviews/comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The night continued on in a slower, and well, to say more and enjoyable way would be an understatement.

Earlier this evening, Father asked that I try to seem interested in Alice, it wasn't an unreasonable request, it was our engagement party after all; yet somehow I managed to seem less interested and more sidetracked than usual. I was spending all my energy on keeping track of the mysterious woman and trying my hardest to keep her in my sight at all times. The vibrant color of her scarlet coat made the task a lot easier.

The last time I had checked, it was midnight and the crowd seemed as alive and full as it was when the ball begun. There was no doubt that the home and the village would be sleepy for the next few days, not to mention the relatives who traveled to be here tonight. I wondered how long much longer everyone would stay here, how long it would before she would leave.

It was half past midnight when I noticed she was the closest to me she had been all night. The only amount of space between me and her, were a few people. I felt my breath hitch and my heart jump; she was even more stunning up close. Her curves were more in depth; her lips were more lenient looking. It was difficult not to stare. I attempted to make my way over to her when a familiar face was suddenly in mine.

"Nicholas!" The voice cheered, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. He pulled me in the opposite direction.

The voice and arm belonged to my good friend, Joseph. We had grown up together, and although he was a few years older, he was like the older brother I never had. I had been told he looked a lot like me too, but I never saw it.

"It's good to see you, Joe. But I really—"

"God, you're an engaged man now!" It was clear by his slurred words and swaying form that he had had a few drinks. Not that it was all that uncommon.

"Joseph, I—"

"Where is this lucky beauty?"

I noticed that in my attempt to find the mysterious women, I had lost sight of Alice. I browsed the room quickly, hoping that Joe's drunken form would distract him from my clear confusion.

"I believe she's somewhere… else in the castle." I hesitated.

I lead him out of the room and into the hallway which held our rooms.

"Alice, my dearest," I spoke carefully, considerate to the fact that only Alice, father and I knew that It was an arranged marriage. In everyone else's eyes, we were two young lovesick betrotheds.

Suddenly, I heard a room creak open and she entered into the hall.

She smiled, but from our time together I had learned that it was anything but an authentic gesture. Her eyes were a light pink and her under eyes were a bit swollen.

"There you are, love." I pulled her into a warm, comforting hug. For both the effect of intimacy, and also because it seemed she needed one.

"This," I said pulling away and wrapping an arm around her waist, "is Alice."

They bowed to one another. Joe took a hold of her hand, placing a tender kiss on it.

"You chose a lovely one, Nick." She blushed. "My name is Joseph, but you can address me as Joe."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Joe." She giggled quietly.

"Well, I must return to the ballroom. I'm sure the rest are beginning to miss me. It was wonderful to meet you as well, Alice." He took a bow, nearly stumbling over his drunken self and turned to leave.

As he finally turned the corner and had completely left the hall, I spun towards Alice. "Alice, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing…."

"It's clearly something," I pressed "you know you can tell me."

She sighed deeply, "It's just… It's finally begun to sink in. I'm _engaged._ Please don't mistake me when I say that you are a wonderful gentleman, and I believe you would make a magnificent husband and father—" She rambled.

"I'm just not what you would want to choose for yourself."

She sighed, "And I know it's foolish. I was the one who was offered the choice and took the opportunity… I just thought I would never have the chance to marry again."

I pulled her into another comforting hug and whispered kind words to her, hoping that I could soothe her fears.

Eventually she calmed, and then we made our way back into the ballroom. It wasn't long before she got drawn into conversation with some of the local townswomen and I found myself wandering again.

A few moments later I felt a tap on a shoulder.

"Would you like to dance?" Her bright eyes gleaming and her mouth in a sly smile that resembled a smirk.

I stood there a moment thoughtless, emotionless, and speechless. It had been the woman I had been searching for throughout the night.

It wasn't only the fact of the circumstance that left me speechless; it was the fact she was a woman asking _me _to dance, which was completely uncustomary.

She battered her long eyelashes as she looked puzzled at me and I realized I hadn't given her an answer.

I nodded and pulled her into my frame.

"Great party isn't it?" She remarked holding herself close to me.

Her beautiful figure was enthralling, and it made it difficult not to stare at her chest pressed so closely next to mine. _God did she look amazing._

"Suppose so." It righteously looked the same as all of all the other parties held here, but it was suddenly so seemingly different.

"Did you hear what the celebration was for?" She turned to her façade towards mine as she finished looking around the room.

It took me a minute to comprehend she didn't know who I was. That she didn't know this was my engagement party.

This was so wrong - so very wrong. Here I was an engaged man, dancing with someone else other than my betrothed.

I attempted to pull myself away from her embrace, but something held me back. Whether it was her, or the pure alarm of guilt I had felt, I did not know. All I did knew was I stayed with her.

I stayed as we danced for quite some time. I noticed the room had begun to clear out when father made his way over to us.

"Nicholas, where have you been all evening?! I've been looking for you everywhere!" He infuriated. "It's no matter, the party is almost over." He suddenly looked at the woman as he had just noticed she was there, and pulled me away from her presence.

"You know you have a reputation to keep. You're supposed to appear in love with Miss Rowe, boy! Not flirt with every god damned woman in your sight. Now, come, dance with Alice before the night ends."

He nearly hauled me away before I quickly released myself from his grasp. I strode over to the girl before he could drag me away again.

"So, this is _your_ ball?" she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "I have a lot more respect for you than I thought I would, Nicholas." An almost dark grin came across her face.

"Nicholas! Come along!"

As I turned to leave, I realized she had known my name, but I did not know hers.

"Wait! What's your name?"

"Eliza." She smiled as she turned back to the crowd.

I had a feeling that wouldn't be the last time I would see her

_And it scared me._

* * *

**__It's finally summer break! **

**I'm so sorry for the delay on this chapter, hopefully I'll be able to update sooner now that I have more free time.**

**I hope this chapter was a good one? I'm personally hoping this didn't come off too Cinderella-ish.**

**Thank you all so much for your support and kind words! Reviews are love.**


End file.
